The story behind the legend
by Tshk
Summary: It takes place throughout the hero’s life in a “behind the scenes” sort of way. In this story, you will see through the eyes what it is really like to grow up and live the way he did. full summary inside...rated t for violence... not too bad though
1. Chapter 1

**The story behind the Legend **

Written by Natasha

_ This is a story based off the story of "Fable". It takes place throughout the hero's life in a "behind the scenes" sort of way. In this story, you will see through the eyes what it is really like to grow up and live the way he did. You will see the relationships he had with his friends, teachers, and enemies. You now get to see how he grew up. _

_I am going to put my own little twist into the story, and I will add a couple things of my own. One instance is the name of our hero. _

**Chapter one**

_Pupil of the guild of heroes_

The boy ran as fast as he could to the trader that was just about to set foot out of Oakvale. He grabbed the corner of his robe and tugged it tightly until the tall man turned around. He had a long mustache that reached to either sides of his cheeks and a tall pointy hat. He smiled and looked down at the little boy who was panting his heart out.

"Please!" he held up four gold pieces to the trader who took it and examined it carefully. "Is that enough to buy some chocolates?"

The trader leaned over with a grin and out of his pocket he took a small red box of chocolates. "I believe it is." Beaming, the boy snatched it out of his hands and ran as quickly as he could to the small pasture just on the edge of the town. He could see his older sister, Theresa, dancing under the trees in her new birthday dress. She saw him running to her from a long way off and ran to meet him as well.

The two children met under the scarecrow and the little boy handed her the red box.

"Happy birthday!" he muttered quietly, hoping she would like it.

"I love it! And I am so glad you remembered!" she reached out and embraced him in a tight hug. "It's so funny!" she laughed. "This is just like the dream I had last night!"

Theresa was always talking about her dreams, he was used to it, so he practically ignored the last statement. They both sat down in the grass together and talked for a bit. It didn't take long until dusk came, and they two children heard the town guard announcing that the shops were closing.

"Come on, little brother!" she stood up and took his hand that was wrapped in an old glove. She laughed and squeezed his hand. "Maybe when your birthday comes, I can get you some clothes that actually fit you!" and the started walking out of the pasture. She was right, his clothes were too small. His pants stopped just below the knees, his suspenders couldn't even reach over his shoulders, and his shirt stopped just above his belly button. He was growing fast. He smiled lovingly back at his sister and his dark black hair just barely covered his eyes.

"Wait…" Theresa suddenly stopped at the exit from the pasture onto the road. "There's something wrong!"

The boy, a little confused scratched his head. There didn't seem anything different about the town, it was just as calm and peaceful as usual. Theresa didn't agree. She quickly grabbed her little brother and threw him underneath a bush that was next to the wooden fence. He almost got out, but there was a sudden shout and a villager came running into the town crying, "Bandits!" He ran right past them and fell to the ground as an arrow pierced his back. Theresa screamed and ran off but her little brother went no where. In total fear, he hid there under the fence and watched as the entire town was filled with bandits. He heard screams all over the town and the air grew hot as buildings went up on fire. His town was destroyed.

Hours later, the boy popped his head out of the bush. He had finally worked up enough courage to come out. After all, he was only eleven years old! The town he once new as home as up in flames.

_Mother! Father! _ His mind went wild as he ran as fast as his feet could carry him over the bride and over to his house. Once he had reached his small house (that was now burning in flames) he saw a man lying at the bottom of the steps. He knelt down beside the man and laid his head on his father's chest. Tears streaked down his cheeks. How could something like this happen so quickly… So suddenly? And just before something could get worse, he heard a cry and as he turned around he saw a bandit come charging at him with a sword. He closed his eyes tightly and wrapped his arms around his father. But to his surprise, he opened them once more to see the bandit fall on the ground, dead. Standing above him was a tall man with white hair and blue markings on his face. He was wearing a mage-looking robe and was holding a large sword.

"Come with me if you want to live." He held out his hand to the little boy who recoiled for a minute. "There's nothing left for you here." The old but strong looking man shook his head. "They were going to kill you too, and they will." His hand remained where it was; in front of the little boy. Without another moment wasted, the boy took his hand and they vanished out of the burning Oakvale with a flash of blue light.

The two of them appeared momentarily just outside a large wooden fortress. With all the horror and excitement of his family dying and traveling so abruptly, the boy leaned forward and coughed up his lunch.

"Well I thought you'd have more of a stomach than that." The man shook his head. "My name is Maze. In case you didn't notice, I just saved your life." He crossed his arms. The boy didn't say anything but stared up at the tall mage. "I have brought you to the hero's guild. It will be your new home, and you will train to become a hero for all of Albion. Maze put his hand on the boy's back and led him through the tall doors of the guild and they walked up some stairs where an old, gray man was standing with his hands folded. He looked like the kind, grandfather, sort of person and his eyes looking welcoming to the boy. He smiled down at the boy.

"This is the guildmaster." Maze introduced him. "He will be your new teacher."

"Hello." The boy choked out a word.

"I don't know what Maze sees in you." He knelt down to speak. "But you'll give it a shot, eh?"

The boy, still unsure of himself, nodded his head. With that, Maze left and the Guildmaster led him up a long flight of stairs that was decorated with a dark red carpet. The whole inside of the building was magnificent and he felt more out of place than ever before. Through a door and around a corner, he was led into a large room with bookshelves completely covering the walls. He has never seen so many books! Next to the wall were two beds tightly made.

"You will be staying in this room with Whisper, one of our brightest young pupils." The Guildmaster smiled and showed him to his bed. The boy climbed on and sat on it. "She's playing in the woods right now, but you'll see her in the morning. You've had a long night, why don't you get some sleep?" he then nodded his head to the boy and walked out of the room.

The little boy sat there silently. He had no idea what to even think. His father, mother, and beloved Sister were all dead, and everything he knew what torn away. All he could do was drop his head in his hands and weep.

The boy was woken the next morning by a shake on the shoulder.

"Hey!" he heard a girl's voice above him. Looking up he saw a tall dark-skinned girl about his age standing next to his bed with her hands on her hips. "You must be the farm boy the guildmaster was talking about."

"I—…"

"I had this room to myself before you came, but oh well." She shrugged. "I guess it'll be nice to have some company. It gets pretty boring." She paused and looked at him up and down. "You're shorter than I expected."

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, a little annoyed with her last comment. "What's your name?" he opened them again and looked at her.

"I'm Whisper. Thunder is my older brother, surely you've heard of him!" she brushed some leaves off of her sleeves onto the floor.

"No…" he shook his head. He had never heard of Thunder, or anyone else there for that matter.

"Well, you better hurry, the guildmaster is waiting in the fighting ring to see if you have any talent in you." She raised her eyebrows at him. "Follow me."

Whisper didn't give him mush room to talk in, so he followed her. He was still in shock, but overcoming things quickly was a part of his character. He followed whisper through the Guild and out a door to the back yard. There was a river running through it with some bridges over it and a large garden covered the entire place. Beauty was an understatement. He followed her over the bridge and over to a small fighting ring where the Guildmaster was waiting.

"A little late…" he warned. "This isn't usually tolerated, but I think you have a good excuse." He smiled at the boy. Whisper rolled her eyes. "Now let's see what you've got." He walked over and opened the gate into the ring. The boy stepped in, a little nervous. Inside was a straw dummy. He chuckled a little bit; this was going to be easy! He beat up bullies and such all the time in Oakvale, so one little straw dummy wasn't going to be a problem. "I want you to hit that dummy as hard as you can."

The Guildmaster watched carefully as the boy hit it several times. His hits were strong, and well directed. He nodded to himself.

"Alright." He stopped him. "You aren't making much of an impact there, are you?" he chuckled and handed him a wooden stick. "Try that."

The boy frowned and took the stick in hand. "Can't I start with a sword? Or some kind of weapon?" Whisper, standing outside of the ring giggled to herself. _She_ was holding a spear.

"The stick will work for now." The Guildmaster pointed at the dummy. "Hit it."

He trained all day and listened closely to every bit of advice the Guildmaster had to give. As the day grew late, he got tired and the Guildmaster sent him off.

"You can go to bed if you wish, or you can play around the guild with Whisper." He patted his back softly. "Good job."

The boy slowly started walking back to the Guild building. He was tired and wanted to sleep. Whisper ran up from behind to join him.

"Hey! Farm boy!" she slapped his back. "You did okay in the ring!" she complimented almost sarcastically.

"That isn't my name." He grumbled.

"Oh don't be sour." She laughed. "You're lucky to be training to be a hero, I'm just surprised that they are actually taking you in to train you."

"Yeah…" he scratched his head. "The guildmaster and Maze seem to know more about me and I do!"

"Perhaps it's true!" she nudged him.

"Hyeah…" he yawned and walked up the stairs to his room Whisper followed. They both sat on their beds across from each other. Whisper pulled a book of the shelf and started looking at it.

"You should read some of these books." She commented after a moment of silence. "They are very interesting!"

The boy looked away, totally ignoring her. There was nothing in the building that brought back anything from home. Suddenly, he heard something clucking and turned his head swiftly to see a chicken walking through the room.

"Look!" He pointed at it and stood up hurriedly.

"What?" she laughed. "It's just a chicken!"

"In the building…" he looked at her as if she were stupid.

"They are all over." She shrugged and looked back at her book.

The boy wouldn't let it slip past him. He was a bit excited, chickens used to be his favorite thing to tease back at home; and old hobby of his was seeing how far he could kick them. A glow lit up on his face and he walked up to the thing and kicked it out the window. Whisper jerked her head up and started at him.

"Did you just do what I think you did?" she stared at him wide-eyed. He shrugged and then ran down the steps the find the chicken again. "Farm boy!" she couldn't help but laugh and run after him to see if he would do it again.

The boy ran around the guild for hours chasing around the chicken and then kicking it as far as he could as soon as he caught up with it. Whisper couldn't contain herself. They entire time, she sat on the bridge laughing her head off like she had never laughed before. The boy, a little excited that he was making her laugh, kicked it more and more, every once in a while putting in a funny little dance before he kicked it into the fighting ring and out. This made Whisper laugh even harder. Apprentices about the guild with their hoods draped over their heads stopped to look or chuckle at the two kids. These were going to grow up and be heroes?

Benjamin, one of the hooded apprentices walked up to Whisper and sat beside her.

"So who's the chicken chaser?" he crossed his legs and leaned back to watch him kick the chicken.

"He's the farm boy that Maze brought in." Whisper answered through her laughs.

"He's quite a character." Benjamin chuckled. "I think he'll bring in a new sort of light to the guild, it's always so gloomy and serious."

"He's a clown." She pointed at him and laughed again harder as he did a little Russian dance before kicking the chicken into a tree. Somehow, the chicken was still alive and well. It wasn't long until at least a dozen apprentices were surrounding the boy and laughing. Soon, the commotion was interrupted.

"What is all this mess?" the guildmaster stepped out and crossed his arms. There were feathers everywhere, and no one was doing what they were supposed to. The boy gulped and looked down guiltily. "Now I don't mind you having a bit of fun, but please leave the chickens alone?" he sighed and walked back to his room. Whisper got up and walked over to him as all the rest of the people dispersed.

"No one's going to forget that!" she nudged him. "You are permanently labeled." She winked.

"Oh well." He shrugged.

The two of them walked over to their room, still laughing. Once they had climbed into their beds, Whisper opened a book to read. She read a bit, but seemed uninterested and put it back on the shelf.

"Hey chicken chaser." She whispered over to him.

"I have a name besides that." He rolled over in his bed and looked at her.

She laid her head on her pillow and yawned. "Heroes go by title names, and yours is now chicken chaser." She winked.

"What's your real name?" he set up on his elbow.

Whisper paused a moment then giggled. "Whisper. You see, my father was a hero, so he named me and my brother hero names."

"Oh." He looked down."

"Well what is your real name?" she set up on her elbow.

"It's…" he interrupted himself with a wide yawn. "Joel."

* * *

well, this is my firt "fable story" I started writing it for my sister who ran away to college!! (Well, not really) but she is at college, and she has this huge thing for fable. haha. I have a couple more chapters written in advance, so I will post those shortly. Just let me know what you think!

TD


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

_Apprentice_

"Wake up, sleepy head!" Joel woke to Whisper shaking him harshly.

"Hey, hey! Cut it out!" he threw a couple swings at her but missed.

"Get out of bed!" Whisper spanked him and walked off.

Joel rolled out of bed with a growl. He hated it when she did that! It had been a couple months since he had gotten to the guild and it already seemed like a normal life to him. The ran after Whisper to get her back but she was already at the bottom of the stairs. She turned around and warned him with her finger up at her lips.

"Today is important for you." She lowered her voice. Joel stopped and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah?"

"Shh!" she held up her finger again as the Guildmaster approached.

"I'm glad to see you're actually up!" he smiled at the two of them. "I have something for you that just came in, boy." He handed Joel a box. "Go put them on, their your size."

Knowing that it was new clothes, he ran upstairs to change without a pause. He had been waiting so long, and now his uniform was here! The master smiled after him lovingly then looked down at Whisper. "What do you think of him?" he folded his hands.

"Oh…" she straightened her back to look tall. "He is okay… but not good enough to be training with me, I think. He's too much of a little boy."

"Ah hah…" the Guildmaster chuckled. "Well, we'll see, wont we?" he patted her head and walked off.

Joel came rushing down the stairs dressed in his new apprentice uniform. He had been the only one without one on the guild until then, and now he finally felt like a part of it.

"Hey look!" one of the older apprentices who was walking by stopped and pointed. "The chicken Chaser's got an outfit! Fancy that!" Joel grinned, knowing he was a whole part of the guild. "Just got to fix one thing…" he walked up and put Joel's hood over his head. "There. Now you look official." He smiled and gave him a pat on the back. "See you around, Chicken Chaser!" he then walked off to the tavern.

The whole day, Joel strutted around the guild dressed in his new uniform. He had become a familiar sight to all the apprentices, so once seeing him in his long desired clothes, they all stopped to cheer. It was hard for the guildmaster to keep his attention during the training, but he managed. After the day had passed, he was sent to bed. Whisper was already there waiting for him. She gave him a jealous glare because of all the attention but soon let it drop as he sat down on his bed.

"You knew." He looked up and gave her a 'thank you' smile as he carefully removed his new and precious shirt.

"Yes." A small smile crept onto her face and she looked down. "I overheard the guildmaster telling Maze that if you got up late again you weren't going to get it yet."

Joel sat there a moment looking at Whisper quietly. She was the only real friend he had. To whisper's surprise, he stood up, walked over to her and gave her a small hug.

"Thank you…" tears welled up in his eyes. She blushed a little and tried to laugh.

"For what?" she pulled away and rolled her eyes, trying not to seem weak or foolish. Joel took a seat next to her.

"Well… it was such a little thing… but you knew it was a big thing to me." He shrugged and brushed some tears off his eyelids. "I mean…" he breathed in deeply, trying not to cry. "I suppose I just miss my sister… and that was something she would have done for me." Not being able to hold it in, Joel dropped his head into his hands and started to cry.

"Oh farm boy…" Whisper tried to say something useful but couldn't think of anything. She had no idea what torture he went through every night, or what pain he suffered. She had never had a friend either before… or at least, not one so open to her.

"I'm sorry…" the boy stood up and walked over to his bed. Crawling under his covers and turning off the light, he went to bed, and so did Whisper.

Three years had passed, and there Joel lay sleeping in his bed. It was the middle of the night and the moonlight dove like a beam through the windows into the room. Whisper woke suddenly to noises and turned to see him tossing in bed and mumbling something.

"Not again." She grumbled to herself. It was the third night in a row that Joel had had a nightmare and it was keeping her up! She rolled out of bed and finally got the courage to wake him out of his dream.

"Farm boy…" she grabbed his shoulder and shook it violently. "Wake up!" she harshly whispered. Joel woke suddenly from his sleep and yelled out of fear at the sight of someone standing above him. "It's me, you silly head! It's whisper!" she whacked his head.

"Why are you waking me up?" he groaned and rubbed his head. She sighed and sat down on his bed.

"You know you talk in your sleep." She informed him.

"Oh…" he rolled over onto his back and let all the air out of his lungs loudly.

"Yeah. It's the third night in a row, are you okay?" she brushed her long brown hair out of her face.

"Yeah…" Joel propped himself up on his elbows then rubbed his head. "Just nightmares…"

"About what?" she crossed her arms.

Joel let out another deep sigh then laid down on his back again. "About my family… they day they died." His face looked sad and lonely. Whisper almost did her usual 'to cool' thing and went back to bed, but instead stayed where she was and thought for a moment.

"Are you okay?" she asked again, sounding more concerned. Joel paused.

"Yeah. I just miss my family." He looked up and smiled at Whisper.

"Speaking of family…" she smiled a bit as well. "My brother, Thunder, is coming to see me! He wrote me a letter…" she excitedly jumped up and ran over to her dresser. She opened the top drawer and took out a letter. Once in was in hand, she walked over and sat on his bed again. Joel sat up and looked over at the letter in her hands. "He says that he is going to take me with him for some personal training! He is coming to pick me up tomorrow!"

Joel looked up at her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I am really happy for you!" he said kindly.

"Yes." She stood, proudly. "I am happy too." Whisper then walked over and got in her bed.

Joel turned over and faced the other way. Whisper was going to get trained a bit by her brother! One of the most well-known heroes in Albion! He wished he could spend time with his family… at least once more.

Joel woke himself the next morning. He sat up, stretched, and looked over to see that Whisper had already risen. Realizing he was nearly late, he jumped out of bed, pulled his clothes on, and ran down to meet the guildmaster.

It the fighting ring, Joel practiced his different attacks, stances, and dodges with his stick. He had become very skilled with it and treated it just like a sword. On the side of it, he carved the names of his family. This was his way of devoting his training to avenging them.

"You can take a break now." The guildmaster interrupted him. "I have someone I want you to meet."

"Thunder?" Joel stepped out of the ring and walked over to his master.

"Yes! Whisper must have told you." The guildmaster nodded. "Yes, he is here."

Joel nodded and waited patiently for Whisper and Thunder approach.

"Ah, Thunder!" The guildmaster greeted his old friend. "You and Whisper having a good time?"

"Of course!" the huge black man smiled and patted his sister's back. To Joel's surprise, she didn't look very happy. Thunder was the biggest man Joel had ever seen, if he could even call him a man! He had very strong, gold armor and a helmet covering his face.

"I would like you to meet one of our young pupils, he is training with Whisper!" the guildmaster presented him.

Thunder stared down at him with disgust and didn't even acknowledge that he had just been introduced. Joel bowed nervously and the Guildmaster tried not to look too concerned for Joel's sake, but Thunder just walked away, taking Whisper with him.

Joel stood there in disbelieve of what embarrassment had just happened to him. He had long awaited meeting the great thunder, but apparently, he was not even worthy enough to be looked upon. The guildmaster struggled for words and then finally said, "Well, how about you can be done for the day!" he reached out and set his hand on Joel's head. "Look at you." He smiled proudly at him. "You've grown so much! How old are you… thirteen?"

"Fourteen." Joel tried to smile but the comforting words of the Guildmaster weren't helping.

"Oh!" the Guildmaster perked up. "Do you hear that? That's the guild alarm!" he gave Joel a friendly nudge. "Sounds like something's in the woods. Why don't you go ahead and take care of it, I'm sure the guild would be happy to pay for it."

Joel shrugged and ran off towards the woods. He heard a couple of the apprentices shout out, "Go get 'em, Chicken Chaser!" or such, but it didn't help how low he left next no Thunder… or anyone else for that matter.

Joel ran into the guild woods and took out his stick. It was a strong stick, and he didn't doubt it's power once bit. He ran around the pathway and could see some giant wasps by a tree.

"Easy." He chuckled and started beating and swinging with his weapon. Joel enjoyed fighting almost more than anything else. It was something he was good at; something he felt like he really knew how to do. After a couple minutes, Joel had down eleven dead wasps. "Got it." He wiped his head and turned around. To his surprise, he hadn't gotten everything! There in the woods stood a bandit who had found his way it. Flashbacks from the night the bandits attacked pounded in his head and he could barely move. Before he could do a thing, the bandit was upon him. He swung his obsidian cleaver at Joel and tore a mighty large gap in his gut. Joel screamed and started running back toward the Guild but the bandit chased him. Realizing he had to do something, Joel turned around and faced his enemy. Rage grew in him as the image of his dead father haunted him. Without another moment passed, he threw the stick above his head and landed it on the bandit. It gave him rather an uncomfortable bruise and he returned an attack with a blow to Joel's arm. He gave another yell of pain and held his shoulder. "I can do better than this!" he told himself and held up his stick again. The bandit cackled and slowly moved towards him in preparation for his fatal blow. Joel stepped back a couple steps then jumped up and slammed the stick on top of the bandit's head. The enemy stood there for a moment without movement then fell to the ground, unconscious.

Guards soon came to the rescue and carried Joel to his bed. They bandaged up his wounds and soon word spread all over the guild about the Chicken Chaser's bravery. One of the servant, who had Joel as one of her favorites, even made him an apple pie.

Hours later, Joel woke with a moan and looked around the room. It was dusk and he could hear the guild preparing for bed. Whisper was standing over by the window and staring out at Albion.

"Whisper?" he weakly exclaimed in surprise and started to sit up.

"Joel!" she called him by name and ran over to make him lie down again. "Please don't move, I don't want to get in trouble with the Guildmaster if you get hurt!" she shook her head and sat down on his bed.

"Whisper, I thought you were going with your brother!" Joel looked at Whisper in the eyes. She turned her head away and started to get teary-eyed. "What happened?" Joel sat up, concerned.

"Thunder…" Whisper started to say as she turned back to look at her friend. "My brother… he…" tears streamed down Whisper's face.

"Whisper?"

"Thunder's going to go fight in the arena!" She finally spat out as if it were a curse.

"The arena…" even Joel dreaded the words. It was the slaughtering grounds in Albion. He couldn't recall the last time someone got even four rounds far in it. It was suicide. "But… why?"

Whisper didn't answer but burst into tears. "He wont come back!"

"Whisper…" Joel sighed and shook his head. "He'll be back." He remembered how big he was and imagined him beating countless foes in the arena. Looking at weeping Whisper, he reached out and took her into a tight hug. Though it hurt his new wounds a little, Joel let her cry for a bit until she actually started to fall asleep and he carried her over to her bed.

Once returning to his own bed, Joel tried to think of what it must be like for Whisper to watch her only family walk off into something like the arena. It seemed just as hopeless as the death of his family.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

_Things Change with Age_

Joel laid in his bed staring up at the ceiling. Morning was nearing but he couldn't go back to sleep! It had been three years since Thunder left for the arena, and he had come back as the first champion in years. Whisper left with him shortly after and had been training specially with him while Joel had to stay and do ordinary training. He missed his best friend a lot! But today was a day he had been awaiting for three years. Yes, Whisper was coming back to complete her training at the Guild. All the memories he shared with Whisper, all the fun times they had flashed through his mind and he smiled just thinking about them. He couldn't wait for her to come back so he could make her laugh and they would go fight off wasps together. She was such a sister to him and he missed her almost as much as he missed his family.

He was now seventeen, and so was she! Was she as excited to see him as he was to see her? He knew she was. Yes, perhaps she was better than he was now, but he knew her weakness was that he could always make her laugh. It seemed like eternity as he watched the sun rise. Then, finally, he heard the bell ring and everyone started to get up. Joel leapt out of bed, threw on his apprentice robe, and ran down to meet the guild master.

"I can only guess what that hopeful smile means." the guildmaster chuckled once Joel had run up to him with the biggest smile he had worn in years.

"Is she here?" he nearly jumped on the Guildmaster with excitement.

"No…" he laughed and shook his head. "Apparently there was a delay. They are going to be a bit late."

No one had ever seen such a disappointed look on Joel's face till then.

"Oh come now, she'll be here tomorrow."

Training went especially slow that day. Joel even had a sort of a bad attitude toward the guildmaster at some times! He fought extra hard so that he would be so tired that sleep would come quickly, so then he could see Whisper in the morning.

And he was right. All the hard work and exercise put him to sleep like a pill. When morning came, he turned in his bed at the sound of the guild bell. _Oh, she's never coming back._ He thought to himself and groaned.

"Get up, lazy-bones." Someone ordered from above. Joel turned over quickly and stared up and none other but…

"Whisper!" he yelled with joy and sat up. "You're back!"

Whisper looked shockingly surprised once seeing his face. "You look different." She crossed her arms.

"When did you get back?" he jumped out of bed and nearly tore apart his shirt as he put it on himself.

"In the middle of the night." She yawned. Whisper seemed a little distant, but that was expected of her. She was always like that.

"Well, I am so excited to see you!" she grinned and grabbed his stick.

She looked at him almost disgustedly and taunted. "Still using that baby-stick?"

Joel's smile vanished and he tried to take a second look at Whisper. She had just given him the same crushing look that Thunder had given him all those years ago.

"Whisper…" he stared at her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She rolled her eyes. "It's just that I have start training with an amateur again."

Joel couldn't believe his ears. He thought they got over the childish rudeness! Weren't they friends?

"Come on, we have to meet the guildmaster in the fighting ring. Race you there!" she winked then started running off.

Without a second wasted, Joel took off as fast as he could and passed her by in seconds. Apparently, all of the running the guildmaster made him do made him a lot faster than her! Once they reached the ring, the Guildmaster smiled and greeted them.

"I have something..." he held up a long box. "For you, Joel."

Joel, guessing what it was eagerly took the box from his master and opened it. Yes, he was right. Inside was an iron longsword.

"Finally." he sighed and took it in his hand. With his fingers around the hilt, he knew almost exactly how to use his weapon.

The Guildmaster placed both Whisper and Joel in the fighting ring and they started practicing. Whisper had gotten a lot better... but so had Joel!

As they were fighting, Thunder strutted up and stood next to the Guildmaster.

"Children!" the Guildmaster whistled and they both stopped fighting and looked up at their teacher. "May I present once again to you, Thunder: the great winner of the arena!"

Thunder proudly nodded his head and snuck a wink at his little sister who smiled back.

"How about you show us what you've learned on this farm boy." he crossed his arms. Both Whisper and Joel knew exactly what he meant. Thunder wanted Whisper to beat him in the fight...to prove she was better. Joel could barely stand to be in the near sight of Thunder... he nearly hated him beyond reason after how he treated him all those years ago. Not only that, but he had changed Whisper into a snob. He'd show them who was better.

They both faced each other in the ring with their weapons gripped tightly. Then, just as the Guildmaster whistled, they were upon each other. Joel found that the blocks and flourish attacks that he learned from the Guildmaster were beating Whisper to the point where she could barely handle to hold up her sword in front of him. Joel fought until he had her down on the ground and then stopped as if to "spare her life".

"Enough!" The Master held up his hands. "We have few enough heroes as it is without you two killing each other off!"

Joel removed his sword from her neck and looked back at the Guildmaster. Whisper quickly bounced up to her feet at said, "Let me try that again! I know what to do now!"

"You did that all wrong, Whisper! I wish you could have seen me fight in the arena." He crossed his arms in disappointment. "But I have no doubt you'll beat him soon." He then turned to the guildmaster. "I need to get going." He said and then walked off without even saying a word of god-bye to his sister.

Whisper looked down in shame as she wished she could have beaten Joel.

"You're brother's so hard on you," Joel put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" she jerked her arm away. "I don't need your support."

"Aren't we still friends, whisper?" Joel's eyes filled with tears. "Why are you so…--"

"Things have changed now." She frowned and stared him in the eyes. "If a hero is going to be powerful, she needs to stand on her own."

"That's your brother talking." Joel stomped his foot hard into the ground and crushed a flower. "You never used to think that! We were always best when we worked together!"

"We were little children." She rolled her eyes.

"Separation isn't a strength." He shook his head.

"In Albion it is." Whisper turned around and headed for the Guild.

"What happened to you?" he asked, even though she couldn't hear him. The last friend in the world besides the guildmaster had betrayed him and his heart was once again broken.

"I'll never stop being a friend to you, Whisper." He bowed his head and then walked off into the guild woods, gripping his new sword.

Joel was seated on his bed when the Guildmaster quietly walked into the room to talk with him. This was unusual, because he normally went to meet him outside.

"What is it?" Joel yawned and stood with a stretch. "I was getting up!" he walked over to his small dresser and pulled on his shirt. Whisper was still asleep, so the guildmaster spoke quietly.

"It's been four years since Whisper came back, and I've only seen you get even better than her." He smiled proudly. "You have talent I've never seen, I just hope you use it wisely. It is so easy to get carried away." He grinned and then sat down on Joel's bed with a grunt. Joel hurried over to help the old man sit. "No, no, I'm fine." He laughed quietly. "I just wanted to tell you," Joel sat down next to him, interested at what he had to say. "Whispers graduating today."

"She is?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes," he chuckled. "And so are you!"

"WE ARE?" Whisper was suddenly up and on her toes. The Guildmaster laughed openly and leaned back against the wall.

"Well, I had a feeling you were awake."

The two 21-year-olds both started screaming like little children and ran around the room celebrating. The Guildmaster smiled and watch them actually laugh together for the first time in four years. When Whisper realized what she was doing, she quickly resumed her bratty-self and crossed her arms.

"Well It's about time!" she raised her eyebrows. Joel only laughed at her and kept dancing.

"This is it!" he whacked her with his old stick, "We're going to be heroes!"

And so they were, after they both completed their final tests, which were fighting against Maze. Whisper barely passed, and Joel passed with flying colors. And at the end of the day, they stood proudly as they were names heroes.

* * *

well, there goes childhood!!!! NOW ONTO THE ADVENTURE! and trust me, this wont be like walking through the game, im going to add stuff. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four Recognized Status 

Disclaimer: I don't own fable, nope!

Joel marched proudly about the hero's guild. He knew that he was allowed to leave it all by himself now, but he just wanted to take one last look about the place before he went out into the world of Albion. He walked across the small bridge and approached the "Demon door" that always had freaked him out when he was a child. It was a large stone door with a face that was carved into the side of the mountain. Joel reached out to touch it, but before he could lay a finger on it, the door began to talk in a loud, booming voice.

"Your path is dark." It said. "Only a light will reveal it, and you are not bright enough"

Joel frowned, thinking it was some sort of prophecy about his life. One of the apprentices behind him laughed. It was Benjamin.

"It's a riddle! If a hero does the task, or guessed the riddle, the door will open."

"But I don't know what to do!" Joel crossed his arms.

"Stop being a baby and figure it out!" he chuckled to himself then walked away.

Joel growled then turned around to face the door again. "Only a light will reveal it, aye?" he rolled up his sleeves and took out the small lamp that the guildmaster had given him after his graduation. He then lit it and held it in front of the door.

"Your path is illuminated! Fancy that!" the door laughed and face vanished leaving a beautifully carved stone door. Joel pushed the doors open and walked in. In side was a beautifully lit chamber. There was a small reading chair and table, and along the side of the mountain was a intricately carved wooden book case filled with books. There were a couple of other scrolls and parchments, and Joel found a couple books that he liked.

"Wow." He sighed. It was like a hidden wonder of beauty inside a mountain. Never had he seen anything so beautiful! After he had soaked there for a bit, Joel finally left and went to say goodbye to the guildmaster in the map room.

"Don't worry." The master smiled and patted Joel on the back. "You'll be seeing me a lot."

"Oh good." Joel smiled. "You're one of the only friends I have!"

And then, for the first time since he arrived at the guild, Joel walked out of the front door into Albion. As he walked down the path leading to who-knows-where, passing people pointed at him and laughed. He heard several jokes about the new farm boy hero, or the chicken-chaser, but ignored them. Then, finally, just before he was about to turn around and punch one of those villagers, a man came bounding down the path yelling,

"Hero! Quick, follow me!" Joel piped up and darted after the man. He was led down the path to a small picnic area. The man then stopped and pointed. "I' not going any further, but hurry! You've got to save my friends!" Joel sighed and took out his sword. As he walked around the bend he saw a bunch o cat-sized wasps attacking the people. The whole park was in an uproar. He quickly darted onto the scene and killed any wasp in his sight. This was so easy! He already began to love his job. Once all the wasps were killed, all the people ran out of the park. As he was about to turn around and head out, he heard a large buzzing sound and turned around in fear to see a giant queen wasp about twice as big as he was! Not being able to reach her with his sword, he help out the palm of his hand and began electrocuting her with lighting. Once he exhausted himself to the max of throwing lighting, he pulling out his longbow and began throwing arrows at the queen at exceptional speed. All the while other small wasps began buzzing around him and stinging at his arms and legs. Then finally, the queen was down and he killed all the rest of the wasps.

By this time, he was panting so hard, and never in his life had he felt so important! He turned around to leave and save about six people standing there cheering their heads off. He smiled proudly and gave a bow. "Thank you." He bowed again.

Joel put away his sword and strutted out of the park. All the while, people would give a cheer. He walked along the path until he saw the large gates of a tow in the distance. He ran along and approached the gate.

"Hey!" a guard stopped him before entering. "I'm sorry, but weapons are not allowed in Bowerstone. You'll have to leave them here." Joel sighed and handed his weapons over to the guard.

The large wooden doors slowly creaked open and Joel strutted through. The large town inside was exciting for Joel to witness; it was the biggest town he had seen in his whole life! As he walked up the dirt path he passed by a trader on his right, and then to his left he saw the tailor. He started to get excited about the life he was going to lead. There were villagers and children running and walking all about the town, busy with their own things. Just up the road he saw the large Inn, which also had a tavern. He could tell it was a town attraction because there were so many people there! As he got closer though, he realized that was only because Maze was standing at the door with his arms crossed and people were gathering around to behold the Legend.

"There you are, Joel." He rolled his eyes. "One day being late is going to get you killed."

He shrugged. "I'm sorry."

"Well, I see you are already starting a reputation for yourself! I heard about your victory with the wasp queen." He smiled proudly and looked at some people gather around and give Joel a cheer. "But," he lowered his voice and put his hand on Joel's shoulder. "There are other evils at work in Albion that would put your giant insect to shame."

Joel looked up curiously, knowing Maze had something to share with him. "What is it?"

Maze laughed. "Nothing you can handle… yet. But I figure you'll get the hang of it soon enough. But anyway, I have something I need to tell you."

"Well what is it?" he asked eagerly.

"I've heard news that your sister might be alive." He finally said then stepped back to get a good look at Joel's reaction. He smiled to see the hero's face turn bright as the sun. "Yes."

"She's alive?" Joel excitedly grabbed onto Maze's coat.

"Calm down, boy, that's all I know for now. Just keep calm and take some quests. I'll have some more answers for you soon." At that, Maze pulled out his Guild seal and vanished.

The hero was so happy, he didn't know what to think! His sister was still alive? He jumped up and down screaming for a second and then regained himself.

After wondering around the town for a bit, Joel only had enough money to buy some nice plate gauntlets. He had his eyes on the entire suit, but he wouldn't have the money for quite some time. So, removing his village gloves, he slipped on his new gauntlets and strolled out of town.

Once back at the guild, Joel walked into the library and started getting out all the books that he found interesting. He desperately wanted to fin his sister, now that he knew he might be alive, and so he began to read. He read for hours upon hours until the guildmaster found him sleeping amongst piles of books. He shook his head with a smile and left, leaving him there to dream.


End file.
